Final answer:
Microbial antagonism refers to the prevention of C. microbial invasion by the presence of other, often benign, microbes, as a result of substances like bacteriocins that inhibit potentially harmful bacteria.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term microbial antagonism refers to C) unsuccessful microbial invasion due to the presence of preexisting microbes. It is a form of amensalism, where one population harms another population through bactericidal substances but remains unaffected itself. For example, bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes produce bacteriocins that inhibit the growth of other potential pathogens but do not harm themselves.
- Microbial antagonism is the prevention of harmful microbial invasion due to existing benign bacteria.
- Amensalism is a type of symbiosis where one organism is harmed, and the other is unaffected.
- Bacteriocins produced by skin microbiota serve as a protective mechanism against pathogenic bacteria.
\Microbial antagonism refers to unsuccessful microbial invasion due to the presence of preexisting microbes. It is a type of symbiosis where one population harms another but remains unaffected itself. An example of microbial antagonism is the production of bactericidal substances by some bacterial species that can kill other species of bacteria while remaining unaffected themselves.